A Place to Feel Safe Home
by Lovely Rain Dancer
Summary: Fuyona Taiyo has lead a miserable life since her birth. When she gets attacked by brutes, it seems to be the continuation of a long series of events... Then, everything changes as she is mysteriously transported to Hueco Mundo. Can she be happy at last?
1. Chapter 1

Here is my new story! Hope you enjoy it :D

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does...

If I did, it would be different...very different... Starts dreaming of a shoujo bleach with no dead Ulquis... xD Horror!

And thanks so much to my dear beta OnlyDreaming for her corrections to the story!

* * *

It was a dark night and most people in Karakura town were snuggling at home with warm blankets. In their dreams they pretended to live in an ideal world, free of crime. Fuyona Taiyo couldn't say the same. She hastened down a badly lit alley, trying to get back to her crummy apartment she called "home". But, a home was a place where you felt safe, a place with people that make you feel warm inside… So it wasn't really a home after all. The dim lighting made it impossible to identify anything farther than three feet away. Fuyona wished, not for the first time, that she was tucked away in bed. Her endless grey eyes took on a faraway look. Delicate blond eyebrows furrowed taking on a cringed look as dusty bins and rusty escape ladders creaked and clattered in the brisk night air. The looming clouds over the city created a suffocating ominous feeling deep within her bones. Everything began to eerily remind the young woman of a crime scene. Fuyona could not repress a shudder. She knew never to speak of ill happenings… With her luck, they would come true. An exhausted look framed her eyes. She always learned the hard way. As a child, the blond haired beauty would often dream to live life like a sci-fi movie. Living an adventurous life like that- who would turn away something so magnificent? It wasn't long after her wish that the girl started seeing the oddest things. At first there were blurs...then shapes...then people... Not until after she could see the horrifying monsters did she regret her childhood wish. Chained people were a common sight for her now, just like the great beasts with pasty white masks. At first, the child of the Taiyo family believed she was seeing things. Too much coffee or not enough. As days passed she learned to ignore the brash creatures and the extra people she knew couldn't exist. After all no one else saw them, right?

A small hand reached up to rub her pale temple in frustration. Why did it always seem her thoughts led her into trouble? The blond did her best to focus on something other than the dark shadows and unusual sounds of the night. She wouldn't be destiny's fool tonight! She would think of puppies and Flowers! Never would she think of the gangs and murders. Not even the daunting shadows crawling up the walls could make her think of monsters or demons. No, tonight she wouldn't think of the possibility of being mugged, murdered, or raped..."Ha..ha..," She laughed nervously into the seemingly empty ally. Those thoughts didn't count...right?

Destiny must have been grinning somewhere as a raucous group of teenagers stumbled in front of the sole exit to the alleyway. They look anywhere from eighteen to twenty and chugged down beers like machines. She paled, her clear grey eyes widening as she took in the danger. This could mean nothing good, at least not for her. Fuyona wasn't a fighter at all, and her only hope left was to pray that they would pass along her nicely.

"Yeah right..." Her more realist side muttered to her. This was confirmed with the dirty leers she caught in their bovine eyes. The poor girl wasn't going to get out of there unscathed.

"Hey girly, whatcha' doing out here alone? Looking for some fun?"

Fuyona had lost her voice a while ago and merely tried to shake her head in negation, blond locks hiding her troubled silver gaze. To no avail. They all boorishly laughed and crowded around her like hyenas around a carcass of abandoned meat. The beefiest guy grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her in. She wrinkled her nose slightly, his pungent stench invading her nostrils. He smiled at her like a shark would to a poor fish trapped in its reach. Nibbling on her ear in a sickening manner, he slobbered all over it, covering it in bite marks. Fuyona felt sick to the very core or her being, and tried to wrench herself free in a last ditch attempt to escape. She was snatched up by another brute, his sausage fingers crushing her arm with such strength she couldn't feel it anymore. This seemed like a usual game for them. A second "muscle" took hold of her other arm and they held her tightly, so she wouldn't be able to move later. The leader of the gang backhanded her angrily, his ring drawing blood from her cheek, while his face grew red with exertion. She whimpered feebly, knowing it would probably only get worse. He then pushed her against the wall brutally, her head hitting the bricks with a resounding crack. Still conscious, she felt the piercing pain split her skull in two. The monster just laughed. Someone started to grope her from the sides, but she didn't try to see who it was. It was over anyways, so who it was didn't matter. Her legs gave out under her and she started to slip to the littered cement, only to be stopped by stubby fingers gripping her neck. She gasped for breath as little black butterflies filled her vision.

At that moment, something changed. Her vision went totally grey, and the scene with those brutes molesting her started to flicker in and out. Her body heaved on its own and a massive amount of reiatsu, like a tsunami exuded from her pores. The men assaulting her all fell to the ground, knocked unconscious by the pressure, unable to resist her power. As she started to fall backwards herself, her whole body flickered and disappeared. There was no trace of her in that dim alleyway; it was like she had never been there at all.

* * *

OOOH mysterious human no? xD Nope, no Grimmy for now sorry... It comes later!


	2. Chapter 2: A Scientist Finds a New Toy

Hey again!

I decided to publish this new part since I finished school early :) Thanks to all the people who took the time to read, and to the those who suscribed even more!

The chappy is edited by OnlyDreaming once again, so a big thanks to her too!

Do message if you have any ideas, or comments to make! Any advice is greatly appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does. All I claim is Fuyona Taiyo ;)

* * *

Szayel had been doing research on a particularly recalcitrant Fraccion when all his personal alarms went off, creating a tremendous catastrophe. All of his experiments panicked, some triggering the automatic destruction button, others running into each other with flailing limbs. The stoic scientist ignored the mess, stalking out of his lab in order to identify the disturbance. His invention led him to an abandoned corridor near the east side. The intruder hadn't moved since, but he sonidoed there, just to make sure it wasn't anything menacing. He was also very annoyed at the fact that the thing had passed his perfect defenses. Maybe one of those numb skulled Espada had brought it in and left it there? The most probable candidate would be the blue haired idiot, he thought smugly. But that was before remembering that the idiot in question had been in his room the whole day (knowledge curtsey of his cameras, no it wasn't stalking). He reached the intersection indicated by the machine and discovered a body. Surprised, he turned it around with his foot, expecting to see a bone fragment somewhere. At least that would explain the body was that of a Numero that had angered Yammy. There was none. It dawned on the pink haired scientist. Somehow, a blonde human _girl _had passed his defenses. His cheeks flushed in anger and slightly hurt pride. She was in a nasty state though, so maybe his work had been a little effective. After quick thought, he decided to take her to the kitchens, where most of the Espada would be at that hour. That way, he could verify if any of them was responsible for this _thing._ If not, he would take her as a test subject. This brought a crazed smile to his lips, as he thought of all the possibilities that brought. Oh how he hoped no one would be responsible for this early Christmas present! With no small amount of glee, he snatched a bundle of knotted blond hair and dragged the lifeless form toward his destination.

In the kitchen, the Espada were lounging around, for lack of a better thing to do. Grimmjow, in particular, had become increasingly agitated over the past few hours. He eyed the room full of his 'comrades'. It was silent. Restlessly, the animal like Espada stood with the intention of leaving. It was aggravating to lounge around doing nothing. Grimmjow crossed the plain floors ready to make his leave. He opened the door and collided roughly with a pink-haired mad man, trailing a body behind him.

"Oi you asshole! What the hell are you doing –". He interrupted his angry comment when he saw what Szayel was transporting "What the hell is a human girl doing here? Is she the new snack?" He demanded, a sly grin coming on his face at the last words.

Szayel retained his pompous air and questioned the others who had come closer, curious too about what he was doing. After all, it wasn't often that something happened in the dreary white palace.

"Does this girl belong to you? If not, I will claim it for testing."

The Espada shook their heads in negation, Hallibel frowning a bit at Szayel's lack of respect for the woman. Ulquiorra voiced the true question that was bothering most of them.

"What are you doing with a human girl?" Then, being the serious and loyal subordinate he was, he added: "Is Aizen-sama aware of this?" His tone was robotic, business-like the whole time.

"She passed through my barriers. I will figure out how. Aizen-sama does not need to be informed of this. It is not worthy of his concern." It seemed that no of them had any idea of who she was. He turned and left with a flourish, the girl's head hitting against a corner as he departed.

Grimmjow continued leaving just as he had been before the unusual and untimely arrival of the four eyes idiot. However, feeling even more on edge that before, he decided it was time for a hunt. With an abrupt turn toward the exit, the white wearing man headed away from the complex. As his walk turned into a sprint, his mind wandered to the abnormal events that he had just witnessed. Surprisingly, it was not the treatment or the Espada himself that lingered on Grimmjow's mind. It was that fact that for some reason he was slightly unnerved by what had just happened. What about it that unnerved him, he couldn't say for sure. Why the hell had it bothered him when Szayel had dragged the fricking body away? It was just a human! A weak human at that! The animal in him growled fiercely. What the hell was going on? Small blue hairs stood on end, an animalistic feeling rolled down his back. Why did he feel like he should have been protecting her? Usually, he would have been disgusted and left without a second thought. It was stupid. He did _not _care for humans. Yet, every time he told himself that, something inside roared to life. He didn't know what was going on, all he knew was he didn't like it. Like his body knew something and reacted before _he_ did. Blue eyes narrowed dangerously. He caught scent of an unfortunate hollow and all conscious thoughts left his mind. He hunted.

When Fuyona woke up, she was aching all over. She gingerly tried to move from the wall she was propped against, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Wincing, she abandoned all efforts to move and just looked around, trying to identify her surroundings. She quickly realized she was in a lab, isolated by a glass wall from the rest of the room, like a contagious animal. Suddenly, a man appeared in front of her, coming out of thin air. She gasped slightly and shrunk against the wall even more, attempting to make herself smaller. The man _looked_ human (well with pink hair) but something inside her told her that wasn't the case.

"I am Szayel, scientist for the Espada and for Aizen-sama, 8th Espada myself. You are?"

Fuyona would have answered the disguised order, scared of the possible consequences of disobeying, but her vocal cords had been damaged by the other man. She couldn't even produce a decent croak. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, creating only raspy breaths. Szayel was quickly annoyed by this, and pressed a button on the wall, causing the release of a pen and wad of paper in her cage. She moved her hand towards it slowly, and wrote down her name in clear calligraphy, despite the pain it caused her, feeling it would be smarter to be legible on the first try. The blonds' small hands delicately held up the paper, as they shook with pain.

"Fuyona Taiyo is it? You now have the honor of being my test subject."

* * *

Hehe... Who guessed that I absolutely hated Szayel? Hm? I thought I was discreet about it though xD Freak guy... And what kind of name is Fornicas anyways? It's plain gross :O

Rant over xD

Till next time! Thanks for reading :)

**~Setsuka**


	3. Chapter 3: And a Savior Comes

New chapter xD I'm going quickly here, but I really like this one, so I want you guys to have a chance to read it as well! Grimmy finally comes in action :D Hehe, I just love the dude!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does! I just lay my little claim to poor Fuyona, who isn't having a great time down in Hueco Mundo... Why "down in", I don't know, but his lab must be deep in the bowels of the fort! It just seems right :D

* * *

This sentence announced weeks of living hell for the poor human, who was the victim of many experiences. Szayel had obtained her memories, and was trying to reproduce her defense mechanism, but to no avail. He was also attempting to comprehend how this feeble human was immune to the reiatsu constantly emitted by the occupants of the palace. She was definitely abnormal. Those tests yielded no results, frustrating him greatly, which often concluded their sessions with him throwing her against walls in anger fits. Fuyona had regained the use of her voice, but rarely used it, always terrified that it would bring more violence in its wake.

One day, a few weeks later, Grimmjow stalked into the lab, hands in his pockets and the typical scowl on his face.

"Aizen wants to know where you are with some gigais." He grumbled, annoyed at being appointed as the messenger dog.

While Szayel went to get the report on the subject, Grimmjow poked around, curious about what the crazy pink-haired man did all the time. His investigation led him to stumble upon the class cage where Fuyona was being kept. He blinked a few times in surprise and peered closer. Rubbing his eyes in disbelief, he observed the girl against the wall. Jeez, what had the guy done to her? Not an inch of her skin was free from bruises and red angry welts. He condoned violence, but violence against helpless chicks was against his morals. There was no fun in hurting things that couldn't at least put up a fight. He tapped the glass with his foot, trying to entice a reaction out of her.

Fuyona opened her eyes and peered upwards. There was a man with cerulean hair and turquoise eyes staring at her. Advising the hole in his stomach discretely, she concluded he was a hollow too. He had a bone fragment on his jaw as well. She realized he was probably an Espada, since Szayel wasn't cero-ing him out of his territory. She strived to make herself even smaller to the blue haired danger. He tapped the wall between them against, visibly expecting something to happen.

Grimmjow was starting to get annoyed. Why wasn't she reacting? As soon as he asked himself, the answer became obvious. Duh, she was scared. Szayel had scared her for life apparently, and he looked "normal" most of the time, not like him, with his hole and the evident jaw bone. Curious about her, he crouched in an attempt to be less intimidating and rapped his knuckles against the glass.

"C'mon, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything." He felt like he was talking to a scared puppy.

Fuyona blinked when she heard that and uncurled slightly. Was he different? She moved towards the stranger an inch, but stopped, worried about how she would be punished for daring to act out on her own. Then, she saw her tormentor coming up and froze like a deer in headlights.

When she had advanced towards him, Grimmjow had felt…proud. Someone wasn't scared of him. Yet. It felt surprisingly nice. Then she had petrified and his annoyance came back tenfold, until he heard Szayel's obnoxious tone behind him.

"Well Grimmjow, looking at my test subject? It's useless, so I'm going to get rid of it." He commented carelessly, his voice airy as he planned the future of a living being. "If you want it, take it." His tone was derisive, knowing that Grimmjow would refuse. Then, he would be able to dissect her. It would be the most useful thing to do with the body. "Oh, here is the report Aizen-sama wanted." He handed the other Espada a manila file, obviously considering it a dismissal.

"Well, actually, I'll take _her_. Don't have any Fraccion, so it might be interesting." Grimmjow didn't know what on earth had possessed him to say such words, but they were said and couldn't be revoked now. Plus, it had annoyed him to no end how Szayel thought of the girl as an object. What he didn't remember was that he did the same thing with other humans.

Szayel looked shocked, but Fuyona was another story. She was completely stunned into silence. She tried to get up to follow her blue haired savior, but fell unconscious from the effort it had required from her atrophied muscles. He turned around and picked her up throwing her over his shoulder, walking out. A question lingered on his brain, what the hell was he getting into?

Relaxed, Grimmjow strolled back to his room, trying to ignore the presence on his shoulder. He plopped her down on his couch and gazed at her, struggling to figure out what to do. Having never taking care of an injured person, he looked around for inspiration. This was ridiculous! He was the one who injured, maimed, killed people; he didn't heal them! After a few unproductive seconds, he put a glass of water and a first aid kit on the side table. Then, he scrawled a note and left it with the rest.

Grimmjow wanted to finish what he was _told _to do. Prolonging it would just get annoying later. He set his feet in the direction of the throne room, where Aizen would probably be waiting. He arrived in front of the massive doors and knocked. Without waiting for an answer, he stepped in. Indeed, Aizen was peering down at him with curiosity, wondering why the 6th Espada was so quickly back. It wasn't his type to aim to please that much; that was Ulquiorra's job.

"Here is the file you asked for."

He put down the folder on the table near him, looking bored as ever. Turning to leave the room, he added:

"I'm going to take a left over experiment of Szayel's as Fraccion. Is that okay with you my lord?"

His tone was discretely bitter when he uttered the last words, hinting at some discontentment. Gin noted that to the back of his mind as he waited for the answer of the ex-shinigami.

"I see no inconvenient to you doing so. You may proceed Grimmjow Jeagerjaques."

The blue-haired man nodded and left the room, strolling back to his room. It was only when he reached the door of his lodging that he realized he didn't even know her name…

Gin strolled down a different hall thoughtfully, keeping his smirk on as a camouflage. The girl could perhaps save the Espada from destroying himself completely. He sighed, thinking of a certain busty lieutenant he had left at the Seireitei. It's all for you Ran. I'll keep you safe, safe from me too. Those were the thoughts that ran through his head most of the day.

Fuyona had woken up a few instants after the departure of her savior. She looked around, trying to understand where she was. It was becoming a habit of hers to wake up in unknown places apparently… During her search, her eyes found the table near her head. Grimacing from the effort, she raised a delicate and bruised hand to grip a piece of paper. Her eyes flitted over the paper, reading the note he had left.

_I'm gonna deliver a message. Stay in the room._

_-G._

Those simple words brought a warm feeling inside her: it was the first time someone took note of her enough to leave her a message. She turned her attention to the water and gulped it down eagerly, now realizing she was parched. After, she opened the first aid kit and perused its contents carefully, afraid to disrupt anything. She proceeded to disinfect her wounds and wrapped gauze around them to keep them clean. Her movements were methodic, and she kept her expression controlled, not letting in to the pain the actions caused her. Satisfied of her handiwork, she turned around on the couch, looking out the single window in the room. The moon was out, bathing everything in its silver light. She was trying to stand up and get closer when the door opened behind her.

She whirled around in a panic, scared of what was going to happen to her.

"I'm so sorry Espada-sama! I didn't mean to move from the couch! Please don't punish me…." It had become a reflex for her to apologize each time she disobeyed, no matter how tiny the mistake might be. Often, Szayel would punish her anyways, slamming her tired frail body against hard walls.

Grimmjow looked at the girl in surprise, not comprehending what the hell had brought on the avalanche of apologies.

"Whoa calm down woman! I'm not gonna do anything, all I asked was that you stay in the room jeez. And call me Grimmjow godammit!"

She gaped at him in shock, not understanding.

"But I couldn't! It's much too disrespectful… Can I go with Grimmjow-san please?" She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't be too harsh with her audacity.

"Ugh fine, go with that." He scowled slightly, and then remembered his thought from before: "What's your name anyways?"

She answered softly; again surprised by the fact he actually treated her like a living thing, and not an object. "Fuyona Taiyo."

He whistled softly. "Jeez that's depressing. I don't want to go around calling you "unwanted" all day. Ok, now your name is Shiruba, "silver". Much better… So Shiruba, you are now my Fraccion. Welcome to Las Noches!" He grinned on the last words, showing his irony.

* * *

Hehe, sdo now she can finally be called Shiruba xD Much better!

Hope ya liked it!

And thanks to my awesomely awesome beta OnlyDreaming :D Stay tuned till next time folks! Shiruba and Grimmjow start their new life together.

~Setsuka


	4. Chapter 4: Awaken and Fight?

Hi again!

Hope you like this new chapter as much as I did! :D I really do love Grimmjow... The hair, the eyes, the abs... And I'm drifting away into my delirium.

Question: Anyone got a good Trafalgar Law story, or a Eustass Kidd one? (One Piece btw) Thanks! xD

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I lay claim to my newly named Shiruba though! Blonde hottie coming through xD

And now, ENJOY! Or die ;p

* * *

"Thank you Grimmjow-san." She bowed her head slightly, trying to seem respectful.

"Yeah, yeah sure. I'm going to sleep; you can take the couch till they get you a room. And stop with the respect crap, it's pissing me off."

"Okay…" She agreed reluctantly, but sat back down on the couch with a discreet sigh of relief, huddling up to sleep. Within a few instants, she was out like a lamp. He chuckled, looking at the girl that reminded him of a small kitten. On further inspection, it was a shivering kitten she looked like. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a pillow and a cover from his messy bed. He threw the sheet over her and stuffed the pillow under her head. Satisfied, he went back to his mattress and promptly fell asleep too.

Unknown to both, during the dead of night, Shiruba's body lit up in delicate silver light that matched her eyes. It passed over all her injuries, and lingered over her face, creating a sort of markings that matched Grimmjow's but with a different color. After this was done, the room faded back into darkness.

Grimmjow woke up early the next morning, wanting to go fight someone. He then remembered he had a female Fraccion and looked towards the couch. About to shake her awake, he looked at her face clearly for the first time. She was so calm, at peace… Totally different from what he had witnessed last night: nervous, stressed. Against his usual behavior, he let his arms fall back to his sides and lounged, his back on the edge of the couch, his head near her feet. The Espada clutched his fists tightly. He didn't understand why he was acting so out of character. His beast like nature leaned toward content when she was within his grasp. His body reacted without his permission and words were spoken without his thought. Why did he act this way around her? He glared down at her face that was now marred with symbols that matched his own. He pondered a while on his behavior, and her new marks, when she finally awoke.

When Shiruba awoke, she felt better than she had ever been in weeks. She stood up slowly, testing her muscles gingerly, verifying that they weren't painful to move anymore. She didn't notice Grimmjow's presence too wrapped up in her joy of having a functioning body again. A dry cough brought her back to her senses; she whirled around to see icy eyes staring her down.

"Oh Grimmjow-sam—". She corrected herself to avoid making him angrier "Grimmjow-san! I'm so sorry; I didn't see you were there…"

"Shut the apology box dammit! I want you to fight me." She noticed the crazy glint that came to his eyes at the mention of a brawl. _Her _eyes widened in shock as she considered his demand.

"As you wish Grimmjow-san. But, according to Szayel-sama, I'm very weak and useless, so please don't be disappointed." She was scared of this, but he had saved her life. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, he was her savior. He could do with her life as he wished.

"Psh, I don't care about what that idiot thinks, I make my own opinions! Just move."

Obedient, Shiruba followed her Espada throughout the corridors, looking around with curiosity at the castle where she had been kept as a lab rat for over a month. Their comfortable silence was broken by a deep rumble. Shiruba blushed tomato-red as she realized it was her stomach. Grimmjow had come to that conclusion as well, and slapped his forehead.

"Jeez, I forgot humans had to fricking eat! I guess it's a stop to the kitchens then…"

A flustered Shiruba stuttered anxiously:

"I don't have to eat Grimmjow-san, its fine! I don't wish to be a bother." As if to mock her, her stomach cried out again.

"Yeah sure…" he drawled. "Kitchen it is. How long has it been since you last ate anyways?"

Shiruba pondered this for a while, making him more incredulous by the second.

"3 or 4 days I guess…" She finally answered. He whistled, surprised. "That long eh? I'm no expert on humans, but shouldn't you be dead or something by now?"

"I should, Grimmjow-san, you are right, but Szayel made me used to very few meals so it's fine." She murmured the last words, trying to convince herself more than anyone else. He rolled his eyes but didn't comment, just knowing she wouldn't voluntarily admit anything about her old torturer.

They reached the kitchens and the Espada pushed the door open, completely at ease, while Shiruba followed, trying to hide behind him. Only Hallibel and her Fraccion were in the room, the servants bickering pettily over a slice of toast, making her feel a bit more at ease. They barely looked up as Grimmjow leaned on the counter and gestured towards the fridge:

"Be quick, I want that fight."

Shiruba nodded and started eating a salad as fast as she could. Hallibel nodded to her in acknowledgement and the human girl smiled slightly in response. Meanwhile, Apache had detached from the epic toast war and smirked at Grimmjow.

"A fight? Mind if we come watch?"

Shiruba's eyes widened as she considered the possibility of an audience at what seemed to be her force test. Grimmjow just waved her off, mumbling "Sure whatever" to the general public. This seemed to be the cue for them to leave, as Hallibel stood up silently and left the room, her Fraccion following, their arguing resonating down the corridors. Shiruba rose quickly after and told her Espada she was finished. They began walking towards the training area where most of the Espada had gathered to watch. To Shiruba's upmost terror, Szayel was there too. She sped up to catch up with Grimmjow, where she felt protected. She was proved right when he muttered to her:

"Don't stress yourself bout those idiots. They can't try a thing. Concentrate on me, I'm the real danger!" He grinned sadistically at her.

She smiled at his twisted attempt at comfort and took her place for the fight.

Grimmjow launched himself forwards, unsheathing his zanpakuto. At that moment, she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do. This could end very badly… Reacting by instinct, she slipped to the side, avoiding him neatly. This gained her a look of approval from her opponent who turned around and charged again. This continued for a while as Grimmjow tested her reactions for weaknesses. Then, he suddenly leaped over her, aiming for her head. She squeezed her eyes shut in fear and her instinct took over once more. The alley's happenings were repeated as a massive tsunami of reiatsu exuded from her pores, slamming Grimmjow against a wall.

Szayel became furious at the proof that his experiment still had actual value and jumped into the arena, fully intending to claim her back as his property. Seeing this, Shiruba panicked and started backing away. Szayel drew his sword and that was a drop too much for her. She disappeared.

* * *

Hehe, I love cliffhangers too much for my own good... Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

How obvious is it that I frantically hate Szayel? He's still as weird. And a psycho... Oh well.. Till next time!


	5. Chapter 5: Music and More: Life Goes On

Hey again! I feel really motivated right now, so here's another part for y'all :D Hope it fills your expectations!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, Kubo-sama does... Though he messed it up by letting the darling emo die. No offense. I just own my Shiruba :D

* * *

She disappeared.

All the spectators, Grimmjow (who was trying to get out of the wall) and Szayel stood there speechless, trying to comprehend where and how she had gone. Then, Grimmjow regained his senses and stalked towards Szayel, snarling:

"You fricking idiot! Why'd you interrupt my fight? She was finally starting to give me a challenge! Now I got to search the whole fricking castle! I swear, you come near her again, and I'll destroy you!"

He then left the room in sonido, trying to search for her reiatsu but to no avail. Gin watched him exit and rummage around in the corridors, looking for his Fraccion on his cameras and smiled softly (something rare, since he usually smirked evilly) to himself. The ex-shinigami sat contemplating a possible young love while one Espada meticulously searched for an elusive human.

A few hours later, Grimmjow ended up at the door of his room, exhausted and pissed, only to find her huddled in a corner, shaking. He almost hit his head against the wall. Why hadn't he searched there first?

Crouching to be at her level, he tried to soothe her.

"Shiruba? It's okay; I got rid of the asshole. Stop crying now!"

In her daze of fear, she perceived those words as a precious balm, even though they were still rough.

"Thank you Grimmjow-san. I'm sorry for running away." Her voice trembled slightly as she tried to recompose herself.

"Stop apologizing dammit! Why'd you end up here anyways?" he asked, trying to distract her.

"It would seem I end up where I feel the safest. That's what my soul is telling me…"

Grimmjow felt a rush of unknown emotion when she admitted she felt safe in his quarters, his inner beast giving a deep hum of contentment. The girl was making him experience weird things he thought, rubbing his neck, watching her sleep on the couch once more.

Time passed, days had turn to months. They grew closer, though Grimmjow wouldn't admit being close to anyone. Shiruba starting to relax and bloom in his presence and he learned to ignore the animal in him. He learned that he wasn't the least bit curious about why things were as they were. He didn't question his 'feelings' or ask himself why he acted the way he did. He did what he damn well pleased. Anyone who didn't agree could shut up or die.

As a silver eyed human rested in bed that night, she reminisced what her and her faction leader had done the day before.

Shiruba had been longing for one thing since she had arrive in Hueco Mundo, and that was music. That morning, she had mustered all her courage and gone to her blue Espada to ask if she could go to earth and but an mp3. To her surprise and delight, he had agreed, but left her to wait in his room. That had pleased her less, but she had waited patiently on the couch, not moving one inch from where he had left her. When he returned, he rolled his eyes at her position and threw her a silver rectangle.

"There's your thing!"

She smiled breathtakingly, her silver-grey eyes twinkling.

"Thank you so much Grimmjow-san!"

He smiled softly when she wasn't looking, knowing exactly why he had chosen the silver color. Then, her face fell as she remembered the problem with mp3s. He wasn't looking at her. There was no way in hell he was gonna admit what he went through to get the small device. Several people almost died on earth that day. Finding someone who could see him was the most difficult part. No way in hell, would he ask someone in Hueco Mundo what an mp3 player was. That would bring annoying questions, and he was in no mood, at any time, to deal with idiocy. Besides, even now, he still wasn't sure why he allowed himself to do such a thing for a girl. It was absurd, even if it were for someone of his faction. He stopped questioning himself; he did this 'cause it made him happy. Not her. That's all that mattered, right?

"Oh no! I need a computer to make this work…" She turned her face to the ground in shame. "Sorry Grimmjow-san."

He rolled his eyes again (something that was becoming a tic for him) as he told her:

"You don't need to apologize; I'll find you your computer. Follow me."

They strolled through the corridors, Shiruba with a gentle smile on her lips the whole time. They arrived to Ichimaru's control room and Grimmjow pointed to a computer on the side, before leaning against the wall to watch her, having no idea how to work it. Anyone Espada worth their salt knew what a computer was, after all they were under surveillance constantly by such things. They may not all know how to work one, but there were a few among them that had such a thing. It became quickly apparent that Shiruba knew what she was doing, as her fingers flitted over the keyboard in a complex ballet. He could see she was happy doing that, and told himself he'd "buy" her a computer next time. A few minutes later, she let out a little cry of joy:

"Yay, I did it!"

Shiruba, despite living with her faction leader for so long, knew very little about the operation of Hueco Mundo. That in mind, she didn't find it unusual in the slightest that there was both a modern computer and internet in the vast palace she called 'home'.

Grimmjow stood up and leaned over her shoulder, trying to understand what the hell made her so giddy. At that moment, a snide foxy voice behind them questioned curiously:

"And just what are you two doing in my control room? On _my_ computer?"

Gin Ichimaru was standing behind them, his eyes closed and that creepy grin on his face.

Shiruba gasped as she realized what she had done wasn't permitted, then opened her mouth to apologize profusely and shoulder the blame that was hers but Grimmjow cut her off.

"I was getting her to find some music for me. We're going now." He drawled, starting to leave. Shiruba almost ran out following him, not wanting to be left alone with the ex-shinigami.

Gin smiled to himself as he watched the cameras that were taping them and pressed the erase button. He would protect those two, since he had failed Rangiku. Presents and taking the blame for the other were perfect proof for the beginning of love. He grinned.

At their room, Shiruba was on the ground, out of breath from following Grimmjow. She glanced at the mp3 in her hand and grinned at the blue-haired man:

"Well at least we got the music…" He laughed at that, feeling happier than he had been in ages.

It had been a great day. Shiruba was truly starting to feel at home with her Espada. She knew he wasn't human, but just couldn't bring herself to care. She was far too in love with the one she considered as her savior. The infatuated girl sighed; looking at the silver rectangle that never left her, finally noticing the date. She jolted up on the couch as she realized it was her birthday. Shiruba quickly decided not to say anything about it, since she didn't want to be a bother. The couch creaked as she lied back down, and fell asleep; not noticing Grimmjow was watching her, intrigued by her behavior. The word birthday had been spoken aloud without her realizing it. He quickly pieced together what she had meant. He made a decision as he watched her stir in deep sleep.

When Shiruba woke up the next morning, icy blue eyes were staring at her impatiently. She blinked, startled by his presence.

"What's going on Grimmjow-san?" She asked, worried.

"We're going somewhere." He muttered, grabbing her hand. He then opened a gargantua and they disappeared.

* * *

Any guesses? I'd love to see what you guys can think of!

Reviews please! I really want to know what my readers think, so I can make the story better... I need your help for this!

Thanks

~Setsuka


	6. Chapter 6: Joy Cannot Last

Hey!

After a long time of overloading, I finally have an instant to post the new chapter. Hope you all enjoy it!

Thanks to all the people who reviewed and guessed the destination, one of you almost got it right :D

Thanks also to my great beta for the chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does. I lay claim to Shiruba.

* * *

Curious and obedient, Shiruba followed him through the dark tunnel and trough the opening, as they ended up at a fair. Grimmjow glanced at her stealthily, trying to see if it pleased her. Her shining eyes answered his question with upmost ease. Shiruba was in total heaven. She had never been to a fair before!

"Thank you so much Grimmjow!" She beamed up at him in joy, not realizing she had omitted the honorifics.

"Bah, it's nothing." He muttered uneasily, not at ease with thanking. "Happy Birthday Shiruba."

She blushed beet-red as she realized it was a present. She pondered slightly on whether to hug him or not, but feeling impulsive, she did it anyways. Grimmjow was almost shell-shocked by this. Then he remembered something, and slipped into his gigai as Shiruba scrutinized the fair grounds. She looked up at him in awe, as he looked like a normal human, well, an insanely hot blue-headed human to be more exact. Noticing her stare (and feeling quite proud about it) as well as many others, he poked fun at her:

"Well, what's wrong Shiruba?" a teasing grin lit up his features as she blushed even more. She mumbled an incoherent response, before gripping his arm and pointing towards an attraction:

"Can we go there please?" Her cheeks were red with excitement and past embarrassment.

Grimmjow nodded before being trailed by the arm towards their destination. He followed his Fraccion idly, noticing she was much more out-going than usual. It seemed that the Espada was rather clueless, everything he was doing for his faction would count as courting. All he knew was that him doing these things pleased him as well as his inner beast. Somewhere in his mind, a little voice taunted him:

"If she reacts like that each time, shower her with dates, pretty boy." Grimmjow blinked in surprise at Pantera's voice but his musings were interrupted by Shiruba explaining how to strap the seat belts on the ride.

He doubted the interest of such a ride as they waited, but all those thoughts flew out the window as the car they were strapped in roared to a start. Grimmjow enjoyed the speed intensely (even though a sonido was much faster), as well as the turns. It felt almost like a fight, but without all the violence. It was a surprisingly pleasant sensation. Next to him, Shiruba was keeping up a string of exhilarated screams, making him chuckle softly. On a particularly sharp turn, she gripped his hand tightly, making him turn slightly pink in the cheeks, not that he'd admit it to anyone.

Shaking his head to clear his jumbled thoughts as they left the ride, he followed a giddy Shiruba, who skipped forwards in a hyper manner. Walking past a mirror manor, the silver eyes lit up in pure joy. Grimmjow sighed, not getting what the big deal was, but followed anyways. They passed what seemed like thousands of mirrors, each throwing a distorted image back at them, each making the girl break down into a fit of giggles. Grimmjow had to admit the mini-Shiruba was cute; but the short and pudgy him, much less. Reaching the end, they exited back into the night sky, strolling along peacefully, trying out different stands. The blue-haired man handed her tickets for each game. If she wondered where he got them from, she gave no indication. Then again, if she asked he wouldn't tell her anyway. Shiruba won a cotton candy by capturing small fish, which Grimmjow found utterly pointless until he tasted said cotton candy, then racing back to the stand to try again. He won her a plush panther, which he found very ironic, by a force test, left almost broken down by a casual punch of his.

At one moment, Shiruba slipped away to go to the restrooms, while Grimmjow sought out a drink stand. He started to worry slightly after 5 minutes, but dismissed the feeling, having heard female human restrooms were often ridiculously crowded. It was when he felt her spiritual pressure rise that he started to get really anxious, unusual feeling for him. He sonidoed towards her, blurring past humans eyes that were unable to see him. He arrived just in time to see Shiruba cornered by a group of obviously drunk men, completely frozen up. Her eyes were glinting in panic, the joy of earlier totally forgotten, as she tried to find an escape. His finely tuned ears caught a single word, whispered almost unconsciously:

"Grimmjow…"

* * *

heh. Cliffhanger.

Sorry to be real mean bout that, but it's the best place to leave off. Plus, it shows the degree of confidence she places in him. Nice no?

Till next time!

Reviews, comments are appreciated!

~Setsuka


	7. Chapter 7: Savior Once More

Hey!

As promised to all the reviewers and messagers (thanks so much for those, I officially adore you!), here's the new chapter! And I'm sorry for the wait, but wouldn't let me post for some weird unknown reason. Again, my bad :/

Will Grimmy save her? Do I even have to ask the question? xD Thanks once more to my poor beta, that I torture with my texts.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, just Shiruba. If I did, there'd be so much more romance in there...

* * *

His heart burnt with rage and a possessiveness he didn't know he had. Stopping behind those disgusting excuses for human beings, he tapped the leader's shoulders. The asshole turned around, and his face met Grimmjow's fist, propelling his body into a nearby wall.

Shiruba had been hounded down during her exit from the restrooms, by the same men from a few weeks ago. Shocked to helplessness once more, she had been toyed with and laughed at, until the leader has once more advanced on her.

She had panicked in her mind, trying to find a way out of this hell, the only image coming to her mind being a smirking blue-haired Espada. Grimmjow…

And then, it had been like a dream. He had appeared behind her attackers, pure rage visible on his features. He punched the leader into the wall, then knocked the others unconscious with his spiritual pressure.

She began crying in relief and ran into his arms, burying her face in his chest. Grimmjow didn't know how to react at her outburst, and patted her on the back gingerly. Then, that unknown feeling coming back, he wrapped her in his arms tightly, rubbing his hand over her shoulder soothingly. His chin came to rest on her ruffled hair as he waited for her to calm down. His beast calmed down to a subdued growl rather than the unrestrained roars it had been giving moments ago. In that moment the Espada decided that he felt some sort of kinship to this girl. After all, there couldn't be any other emotions that explained the way he reacted to her.

"Sh… It's okay now." He tried to pacify her. When she had relaxed a little, he guided her by the shoulder towards a Ferris wheel, glowing softly in the darkness. When they were in the seats, he asked her bluntly,

"Who the hell were those fricking assholes?"

"The ones that made me end up in Hueco Mundo in the first place." She murmured in a low tone. Grimmjow had a puzzled look on his face so she elaborated further.

"I was walking home when they attacked me. I managed to escape somehow and woke up in Szayel's lab. Apparently he had found me in the corridors unconscious."

This made Grimmjow uncomfortable as her remembered perfectly the first time he had seen her, dragged around by the pink haired freak. His blood boiled when he thought of those monsters he had left in the alley and promised himself he'd go finish them later.

After the ride ended, Shiruba asked faintly whether they could go one last place before returning to Hueco Mundo's bleakness.

"Sure, why not? Lead the way."

And she did, while he followed, hand in his pockets, looking at the reflects the city light made in her honey blonde hair. She finally stopped on the edge of a tranquil river, where the stars reflected brightly. It made him feel at peace, he thought bemusedly, taking his eyes off Shiruba to stare off in the distance. He was brought back to reality by a cry, as Shiruba started to fall towards the river, having lost her footing on the wet grass. He caught her by the arm just in time, when a rough voice behind them shouted out:

"Let her go Arrancar!"

Grimmjow turned around swiftly, placing Shiruba behind him for protection. An orange-headed boy was standing on the grass above them, dressed in Shinigami garb, pointing a butcher sword towards them. The Espada scowled and snapped at him:

"What the hell d'you want carrot-head? I'm a peaceful little human with my girlfriend. Leave us alone!"

Even though they were in danger, Shiruba couldn't help but blush at his declaration. He had called her his girlfriend. She just couldn't help but wish it was true. Then, the Shinigami spoke again and she concentrated on the matter at hand.

"Yeah right, nice try hollow. I felt your pressure when you attacked those men. They didn't taste good enough so you preferred to take the girl? Let. Her. Go."

Grimmjow opened his mouth in outrage, his hand going for the hilt of his sword before realizing he was in that useless in that Szayel-made gigai.

"Hey listen you—"

Shiruba interrupted him courageously, stunning both men into silence.

"I'm very sorry Shinigami-san, but you've got the situation wrong. He wasn't going to devour my soul; we were simply visiting the fair as a birthday present. I'm his Fraccion, Shiruba Taiyo. I'd like to say it's a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie, so that wouldn't be polite."

Grimmjow almost burst out laughing at her retort, whereas the Shinigami had a slightly sour face.

"Could you please let us go? We meant no harm; Grimmjow-san saved me from those men." The said savior noted that she was back with the honorifics, which disgruntled him a bit.

The carrot-head was just standing there, looking like he had been hit by a truck. Grimmjow turned to his Fraccion, smirking and drawled:

"Well your little speech was certainly effing effective. Let's go home now, I'm dead." He laughed bitterly at the irony in his words.

"Yes Grimmjow-san! I'm coming!" She turned to the other man still watching them, incredulous and spoke softly:

"Thank you for being so worried about me Shinigami-san, but I'll be fine with my Espada." She smiled brightly and waved goodbye as they stepped into the gargantua together.

Ichigo Kurosaki was left standing there, stunned by the faith that woman had in a hollow of all things. He decided not to mention this to Rukia, because she'd feel obligated to notify Soul Society, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Not for the girl, and certainly not for the orange haired shinigami-substitute who practically let an Espada walk right in and out of the human world.

* * *

And introducing Ichigo to the mess :D Hoped you liked his part cause he's about to come back... Who likes his nickname?

Till next time,

~Setsuka

PS. Review, rate, message, anything goes! And I might update faster, you never know ;)


	8. Chapter 8: Return Home

Hey! After much absence, that I truly apologize about, here is a new chapter! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.

* * *

As they finally reached their room, Shiruba turned to her Espada and beamed:

"Thank you so much Grimmjow-san! It was the best birthday ever!"

"You're welcome, I guess..." He mumbled, sounding slightly annoyed. "Just do me a favor and stop adding the damn honorifics. Now go to sleep, you're gonna fall."

Indeed, she was swaying tiredly, and as soon as he finished his sentence, she collapsed into his ready arms, which he had stretched as a precaution. He put her down on his bed gently, wrapping the covers around her frail body. Feeling perfectly weird and human-like, he kissed her forehead, feeling her soft smooth skin underneath his lips. It was…addicting.

Addicted? Human-like? Grimmjow might not understand all of his actions, but he sure the hell knew he didn't like these _feelings. _A deep sound rumbled in the back of his throat. He knew all about one feeling though, and he knew exactly how to act on it. He growled, shaking his head and turned away. He discarded the gigai in an ungraceful heap, stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked into a waiting gargantua.

"Sorry Shiruba…"

He stepped out in Karakura town, near the place where he had left those asshole humans. Glancing behind him yawning in boredom, he drawled:

"You can come out carrot-head. I'm not an idiot."

Ichigo Kurosaki stepped out from the shadows, a distinctive scowl on his face.

"So what d'you want Shinigami? I ain't got all day- or night." he added, glancing at the stars.

"You like her?" The question was so unexpected that Grimmjow just stared at the other man, dumbfounded. The ice-blue eyes stared at the amber ones, not comprehending. Finally, a typical Sexta Espada response arrived:

"What the hell are you spouting on about?"

Ichigo smiled briefly, before going back to an impassive face. "Yeah, thought so… You're same as me, blind."

"Are we really trying to talk about my effing feelings?" He smirked at the human boy as if to remind him just how deadly this Espada was. "I have other stuff to handle, Carrot-head."

Blue eyes narrowed at the substitute. Somewhere along the lines Grimmjow realized he had said his feelings. What the hell had spilled from his mouth, he didn't have effing feelings, he was a killer. A fighter. Not, under any circumstances, a..._a feeler_. The cement bellow his feet cracked with spiritually pressure and his mind gave way to the relaxingly familiarity of anger.

Ichigo looked at him pointedly and spoke once more; changing the subject slightly, to get to his main point:

"She is a human you know. She deserves a normal life, not one as a prisoner in Hueco Mundo."

Grimmjow's face darkened as he replied, showing unusual quiet rage, almost scarier than his customary fighting frenzy. In clipped tones, he declared:

"She is no prisoner. She is _my_ Fraccion." There was a small inflexion on the "my" that Ichigo caught easily. "And she had a crappy life in your world too! That's how she got attacked too, by _humans_; which reminds me, I've got some bugs to kill." He jumped upwards suddenly, landing on a roof blithely and started running. Ichigo cursed under his breath, following the Espada, aiming to stop him. As much as he was sure those men would get what they deserved, he couldn't let their souls be devoured, it was against his morals.

He finally caught up just as Grimmjow was going to finish them off with his zanpakuto.

"Stop it! You really want her to see you as a killer?" Grimmjow froze, pondering his words. It would be his first killing of humans. Contrarily to what people thought of him, he had killed only hollows. He had fought Shinigami, sure, but never actually ended them. He picked up an unconscious form by the shirt, Ichigo drew his weapon.

His had was fisted in the material as the man dangled helplessly in front of the beast. She should already know that he was a killer, a beast...Not that her thoughts or feelings bothered him in the slightest. However, when he thought of this upsetting her, something inside of him snapped. The beat growled threateningly, but not at the lax men beneath him. His dismissed internal conflict. Dropping them down, he muttered:

"Damn, why do I even listen to you? Make sure they pay hell ok? Or I'll come after you."

Ichigo smiled, looking a tad evil. "Sure, my pleasure. I'm curious though; would you have devoured their souls after?"

Grimmjow growled furiously and snapped:

"Are you crazy? I don't want those asses in me! I have some standards dammit! Besides, I wouldn't let them near Shiruba again."

Ichigo smiled privately at the Espada's protective tone. It reminded him of his when talking about Rukia.

"Okay, sorry if I offended you. But remember, my offer still stands, she'd be safe." His tone was earnest, showing he was truly offering him help, not a pretty trap. He scribbled down his name and address on a bit of paper and handed it to the Hollow. "Here's my address, if it can help."

"I'll consider it. Thanks" Grimmjow declared. He eyed the Shinigami, making sure to not show a hint of weakness. He left quickly; opening a gargantua with a flick of his wrist, hoping Shiruba hadn't woke up.

When he arrived to his room, she was sitting up, struggling to keep her eyes open. He sat down near her on the couch, waiting for her to speak. Her voice finally rose in the darkened room.

"I was worried. I woke up because I couldn't sense you anymore. I-I thought something had happened to you!" Her hands were gripping her night shirt tightly, as her voice broke on the last few words.

He sighed, annoyed by her lack of faith in him.

"Damn, did you really think I'd get into trouble? Psh, you don't trust me enough. I was just taking care of business. He smiled manically at the last words, trying to hide what had really happened.

"You went after those men didn't you?" Her voice trembled slightly as she evoked the cause of her nightmares. He just grunted, watching her reaction intently. After a few instants of reflection, she spoke up again, her voice hesitant.

"Are they dead?"

He sighed again, before answering.

"Nah they're alive. But Carrot-head promised that those assholes would pay."

When he declared this, her face lit up with a brilliant smile, glad that she hadn't caused any deaths. Then, her sleepless night caught up with her, as she swayed tiredly, her head coming to rest on Grimmjow's shoulder, eyes closing. He stiffened slightly, not knowing how to behave once more, and then wrapped his arms around her, watching her peaceful features. The whole night, he pondered over Ichigo's proposal (he had read the name on the slip of paper).

He knew it was best for her, but couldn't bear to leave her. He couldn't betray Aizen either, where would he go? Soul Society certainly wouldn't accept an Arrancar, especially him, who several months ago would have beat carrot-head to a crap without a moment's hesitation. But if he made Shiruba leave, he'd be accused of betrayal, and the result would be the same. After several hours of twisting the dilemma in every way possible, he ended up with a solution.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this. I'll try and post more soon.

Tell me what you think, please!

~Setsuka


	9. Chapter 9: A Decision Taken

Hey everyone!

I'm dreadfully sorry for the impromptu hiatus, I just completely forgot bout this, I'm sorry. So I decided not to let it die in my PC files, and finish posting it all. Sorry in advance for the spam!

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, except in my dreams.

* * *

Covered in the thick blanket of Hueco Mundo's infinite night, a blue haired Espada would realized he only had one option. He and his faction would have to defect.

Rubbing his forehead, he scolded himself:

"Boy am I whipped…"

Deciding to prepare for their betrayal, he stood up slowly, careful not to disrupt the girl's serene rest and started stuffing a bag with clothes and other stuff, collecting all their rubbish.

When Shiruba woke up, he was waiting for her, the room almost empty and two backpacks on the floor. She looked up at him, confused, asking for an explanation. His expression was somber but he cracked a smile, saying:

"We're leaving."

It was clear what he meant, so Shiruba smiled and simply stood up, taking a bag on her shoulder, waiting for him to open a gargantua. She trusted him completely. He happily obliged and they stepped inside, Shiruba taking his arm shyly.

In the control room, Gin watched them leave with a wistful smile on his face, glad Grimmjow had chosen the right solution, unlike him. He pressed the erase button without regret, covering for the blue-haired man one last time. The foxy commander sat there for a while, thinking of his Rangiku, before suddenly sitting up and running the tapes again. His icy eyes open with hope, realizing they were perfect bargaining chips. Maybe he could get out of here AND get rid of Aizen, in another manner. Quickly, he copied all interesting videos then set the corridor changer on quick and random. It was his last good-bye prank. The foxy grin came up again and disappeared with the darkness, leaving Hueco Mundo forever. "Thank you Grimmjow", he thought, "for finally opening my eyes".

Grimmjow and Shiruba stepped out of the gargantua in front of a prim doctor's clinic. Shiruba gazed at the place with glee in her eyes, adoring the nice appearance it had. Grimmjow used that chance to slip into his gigai again (that he had "borrowed" again) and camouflaged his reiatsu. Turning to him, the silver-eyed girl questioned him:

"Why are we here Grimmjow?" He noted with pleasure that she had finally dropped the honorific.

"Because, apparently Ichigo Kurosaki A.K.A. carrot head lives here." He answered; a twinge of annoyance in his voice at having to ask the Shinigami for help.

Shiruba nodded in understanding. The ex-Espada rang the doorbell sullenly, hoping that he wouldn't face anyone from the carrot-head's family. Luckily, the man in question opened the door and stared at the Espada and his Fraccion in surprise, orange hair gleaming in the sun.

"We need help." Grimmjow muttered unhappily.

Ichigo nodded, hiding a smile and led them up to his room. Opening the door, he called out to Rukia:

"Hey midget! We got visitors. Don't say anything ok?"

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes, wondering who he was yelling at. They stepped into the room, and discovered a raven-haired girl with violet eyes, peering at them with interest. Her large orbs became even wider when she saw Grimmjow, recognizing his reiatsu despite the gigai. She screeched:

"What are—"but was interrupted by Ichigo's glare, warning her to stay quiet. Although she wasn't the first to be passive in every situation, Rukia took careful note of the seriously look that framed Ichigo's face. Swallowing her words, the unseated member of the thirteenth squad eyed the couple who entered the room.

"This is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques and Shiruba Taiyo. They deserted Hueco Mundo and need our help."

She scowled darkly but noticed Shiruba's human reiatsu and wondered what the heck she was doing with a hollow. Then, she caught the protective look Grimmjow had on his girl and understood. It was the same look that Ichigo had when looking at her, she thought blushing. The possessives that burned in his eyes made Rukia feel like she was seeing something very intimate. She looked away.

"How can we help you?" She finally asked, knowing she was damning herself doing this. Shiruba smiled softly, touched that the girl would help total strangers, enemies to boot.

"I want to keep her safe." Grimmjow muttered, jerking a thumb towards his own blushing companion.

Rukia bit her lip pensively, as Ichigo frowned once more.

They looked at each other then the girl declared: "I'll be happy to help her." She looked at the sturdy Espada in front of her. "You both," she amended. "You are welcome to stay here till we get you a safe place."


	10. Chapter 10: And Things Go Wrong

Next part is up~.  
It can't just go well so easily now, can it? They're gonna have to fight. Again. Poor kids.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach blah blah blah..

* * *

"Uhm, sorry to be a bother," spoke a very timid sounding Shiruba, "but is it normal to have people floating outside with zanpakutos?"

They stared at Shiruba in surprise, before rushing towards the window themselves, to confirm her dire observation. Indeed, a dozen shinigami occupied the skies, swords at the ready. To Ichigo and Rukia's horror, they could definitely sense a Taicho, and a few Fukutaichos in the lot. Grimmjow was on the sides, his brain churning put ideas, many relating to general slaughter, but none were viable. He had to put Shiruba's safety as a priority.

Before any of them could react, Rukia rushed out of the besieged clinic, crying out:

"What is going on? Stop this!"

She prepared an explanation, having effectively grabbed their undivided attention, but a tall severe-looking man flash-stepped in front of her.

"Byakuya-sama!"

His stern gaze silenced her, and she could only weep silently as a red-haired fukutaicho led her away. From the room, Ichigo gritted his teeth in rage, knowing she was in deep trouble because he had gotten her involved in his affairs. Shiruba gazed downwards, guilt weighing on her shoulders. Grimmjow growled, not knowing how to react to this. He was lost. Then, the same Taicho that had intercepted Rukia spoke, his tone void of any emotion:

"Surrender yourselves, Hollow."

The ex-Espada looked at the carrot-head and their gazes met in mute agreement. They had no choice in the matter. Ichigo stood up and leaped out the window, into the sky, hand itching towards the hilt of Zangetsu.

"They don't deserve to be arrested, they're seeking refuge!"

Kuchiki looked down at him haughtily, and motioned towards the lieutenants:

"Hold him down."

A bit wary, they approached a stunned Ichigo, who let them execute their orders. Sullenly, he was led away, unresponsive. If he started a fight here, no one would hear him or Rukia out. Just before disappearing out of sight, he stirred and declared:

"I don't know what your problem is, but you're making a mistake."

Paying no heed to the substitute shinigami, the Taicho turned his gaze towards the quaint little clinic and ordered:

"Seize them."

Hearing this, Shiruba paled even more, all remaining color draining out of her face. Grimmjow seized her hand in an attempt at comfort, and squeezed it tightly. She relaxed slightly and smiled shakily at him, as they stepped out of the window themselves, greeting their future captors, to avoid any damage to thank Ichigo for his help.

A collective intake of breath was heard on the shinigami side, as they realized one of the hollows was in fact human. Whispers swirled around them as they made hypothesis on the reasons for her presence. The shinigami concluded erroneously that she was a prisoner, not taking in account their intertwined hands. Shiruba and Grimmjow were taken through a Senkaimon, still together, and were led towards the commanders' office. It seemed that no one wanted to risk the life of the hostage by trying to pry her from her captor.

Yamamoto-Soutaicho was waiting for them behind his desk, impassive and cold. The two prisoners were left on the center of the room, with no one to support them. The fukutaichos retreated to the corners of the room, ready to intervene if it was deemed necessary. The blonde girl gripped the Arrancar's hand even tighter, drawing solace from his seemingly relaxed presence. Inside, Grimmjow was ANYTHING but relaxed. He was in a room full of natural enemies, and his weak point was clinging to him like a lifeline. This nearly made him growl in frustration, but he restrained himself, knowing the gesture wouldn't be interpreted well.

The commander finally spoke, after glaring them down with a look that could rival even an iceberg, so much for the guy who had the most powerful fire zanpakuto of the place. Unlike the retrieval team, it was apparent that the high commander did not view her as a victim. She was an accessory, an accomplice to whatever wrongdoings the Espada did.

"Take them to the detention cells while we statute on their future. Have them separated, to avoid any plotting."

At those words, the little pink that had returned to Shiruba's cheeks vanished once more, as her whole body started trembling. Grimmjow turned to her quickly, knowing they had few time before they were led away. He bent his head to her ear, his lips brushing the blonde tendrils, and murmured quickly:

"C'mon Shiruba, be strong for me. You're my Fraccion no? Prove them you won't break."

She nodded quietly, trying to feel as strong as he depicted her. Her heart rate flew when he whispered the last few words.

"And don't worry; I won't let them hurt ya. I love you."

He had said those three simple words on impulse, following the animal in his heart, now purring in content, as he realized the truth in his statement. As incredible and impossible it may seem, he, the psychotic 6th Espada, had fallen in love. And to top it off, with a human. But a human he wouldn't change for anything in the world. Sensing the guards were coming to take them away, he rapidly pressed his lips to her forehead one last time, blocking his actions from the sight of the shinigami, not wanting to display his affection to the whole damn world. He relished in the heat coming from her, proving she was alive and well, and murmured one last time:

"Be strong, for me."

He meant those words more than she could ever hope to understand. He wasn't sure he could hold himself back if she started crying. She needed to be strong; otherwise things would go straight to hell.

Shiruba nodded bravely once again, still stunned by his declaration. He was led away in total silence, feeling a struggle was futile. He may be known for fighting at every occasion, but he wasn't stupid either. It was only when his cerulean hair disappeared from her view that she allowed the tears to flow down her face, the salty drops staining her cheeks. She was led away as well, still crying silently, berating herself for not being stronger, but still mourning her savior. The shinigami in the room all watched her go, not understanding the sadness she felt for a monster, all except Rangiku Matsumoto. She knew perfectly what the girl felt, and resolved to pay her a visit.

At that instant, her soul pager beeped, announcing a message. She excused herself and read the message in question, curiosity burning.

"Meet me in the forest. I have something for Soul Society.

Fox"

Her heart swelled with hope, recognizing Gin's old nickname in a breath. Could it be possible? She shunpoed to the bamboo forest and peered around anxiously, hoping she wouldn't be let down once more. The thought of a possible trap eluded her thoughts. She continued to the familiar forest with only one thing on her mind, one ex-captain. A tap on her shoulder made her gasp; and she whirled around to face a familiar fox mask, with barely open icy eyes peering out at her. A single word escaped her mouth as she flew into his arms: "Gin!"


	11. Chapter 11: Love and Despair

Oh yeah. Warning: I ship GinxRangiku. Or Gin with good OCs. But mostly the former. So don't hate cause of that, hm?

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, never will, do own Shiruba and the plot you're currently reading.

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Once her moment of shock had passed, she attacked him with a flurry of questions, not even stopping to catch her breath in her haste.

"What's going on? Are you ok? Why are you here?" This brought back the unfortunate position Gin was in, and she berated him for being so rash.

The silver-haired man just stood there, his arms around her warm, comforting presence, waiting for the avalanche of questions to stop. When it finally did, he started answering, trying to keep her as happy as possible, hiding a few details from her knowledge.

"I'm fine, I'm no longer with Hueco Mundo (not that I ever really was…) and I'm here to help ya. I can't go to them directly, (cause they'd kick my ass) so here's something for ya." He handed her the chip containing the precious information solemnly, trusting her wholly. "It contains quite a few videos from Hueco Mundo, with some secret plans to boot. Give'm to the Soutaicho for me will 'ya? Don't say it's from me though, it'd get us in trouble."

She gazed up at her man adoringly, realizing he truly had betrayed Aizen. A single question lingered on her mind: "Why?"

"Only for ya Ran, only for ya."

Tears glinted in her eyes as their lips met, the rest of the day melting into love and rejoice, the two of them alone in the world.

Shiruba was led into a cell in the 6th barracks, her captors silent and unfeeling. She tried to chalk her behavior on theirs, without much success, barely managing to force the tears back, attempting to stay strong. Left in her prison alone, she sat on the bed, reminded of all the times she had waited for his return on the couch, never moving. Her back straightened as she resolved to do the same. Silver eyes went blank as she retreated inside herself, meditating. She would make him proud.

Grimmjow paced the ground of his cell, hating this place with all his might. He was separated from the only one who really counted in his eyes. The Shinigami in charge of surveillance watched him warily, slightly afraid of the seemingly unhinged Espada, who was in fact rather calm at the moment. With a growl, he finally sank back to the ground, muttering:

"Ichigo, you better get her out of here safely, or I'll come after your sorry ass again." His words changed, resembling more of a plea, something unheard of for the great King: "Keep her safe, it's all I want."

The shinigami-substitute had just burst into the Seireitei, thanks to the help of a certain anonymous green hat wearing man. He headed straight to the Soutaicho's office, not getting lost for once, arriving just in time to hear the sentence declared:

"Tomorrow, Hollow Grimmjow Jeagerjaques will be executed, in presence of ryoka Shiruba Taiyo, who will then get a memory wipe before being sent back to Earth." All of those present held solemn or stern faces. The first captain caught sight of Ichigo, sensing his presence. Ichigo's face was marred with cold fury. The old man's eyebrows furrowed and added, "This decision is final."

Ichigo's anger bubble widened till it burst and his voice exploded in the office.

"Are you guys complete idiots? They haven't done anything! You never learn from your damn mistakes do you? First the Vizards, then Rukia, now this? Stop it!" His voice was scalding.

The Soutaicho's frown became more pronounced as he made a new declaration.

"Take him away and keep an eye on him. He isn't to have any contact with the prisoners."

The orders were executed as a struggling Ichigo was wrestled from the room. Rangiku remained, and advanced shyly towards the desk.

"Yamamoto-Soutaicho, please accept this chip. It contains precious information from a confidential and trustworthy source."

She put the object on his desk and fled, not wanting to be questioned on that confidential source of hers. Her feet led her to towards the 6th barracks where the human girl was, upholding her promise to come and visit. The girl would need comfort after she learned the nature of her sentence.

Shiruba snapped out of her meditation pose when she heard a door open outside of the metal bars. A gorgeous woman was looking at her, pale blue eyes solemn. The girl's body shivered on instinct, this couldn't bode well for her. Indeed, her next words were ominous:

"The sentence has been decided."

The blonde woman looked up shakily, and made her way to towards the bars, her soft voice trembling as well.

"What is going to happen, Shinigami-san? Please tell me _he_ will be alright."

The lady looked away and Shiruba's heart clenched. "Tell me! Please…" Desperation was clear in her tone.

"He is going to die tomorrow. In your presence."

Silver eyes dilated as her mouth opened silently. Her whole body shook convulsively.

"N-no! No, no, no… It can't-" Her legs gave out under her as she broke down completely, erratic sobs racking her small frame. Her head fell back as she screamed her pain to the sky. It was unsightly and raw, as her body shook with heavy tears rolling down her face. An anguish she had never felt before ripped her heart to shreds. It felt like her very soul would be broke in half. Rangiku slipped inside the cell, despite all protocol and took her in her arms. The Shinigami began rocking her slowly, like the mother Shiruba never had. A solitary tear was rolling down the blonde's cheek. They sat there a long time, until the human girl collapsed from grief and exhaustion. Rangiku laid her down in her bed tenderly and left the cell, heart aching for the ryoka.

Grimmjow was biding his time in his damn cell when an agonizing scream pierced his temples.


	12. Chapter 12: Beginning of the End

Someone is NOT pleased. Be warned, and enter at your own peril~.

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, don't own Bleach.

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Grimmjow was biding his time in his damn cell when an agonizing scream pierced his temples. In a blink, he was at the bars, growling in fury:

"What the hell have you done to Shiruba?"

The two men in charge of the cell stepped back, terrified by his animalistic reaction. They didn't understand what he meant. How could he even know who had screamed so loudly? The door behind them slammed open and Nanao stepped inside, ordering them out a mere gesture. She turned towards Grimmjow and declared, business-like:

"The sentence has been chosen. You will die tomorrow, in presence of the human girl." A slight disapproving tone entered at the end of the sentence.

Grimmjow gaped at her for a few seconds, disbelieving, before exploding:

"What the hell? You're going to make her watch my damn execution?"

Nanao blinked in surprise. He didn't care about his own death, but only about that girl. What a queer hollow… She had always thought they were unable of such feelings.

Grimmjow turned away from her, attempting to control his nerves. He then remembered the scream he had heard earlier before cursing under his breath. She hadn't taken the news well. Shit. Nanao left, obviously discontent with something, as he was still damning everything that came to mind. He roared out his rage at the entire Seireitei, gripping the bars of his prison tightly, his knuckles stark white. After a while of passing out his rage on poor inanimate objects, he finally collapsed on his bed, still furious at the injustice. As he drifted to sleep, his thoughts lingered solely on one silver-eyed girl. "Shiruba…"

Unknown to both of them, her scream had resonated all through the Seireitei, causing slight panic among the Shinigami, then incomprehension as they identified the source. Why would she be in such pain because of a monster? All this was creating unrest among them.

Shiruba was woken early next morning, and dressed in the white yukata of condemned people by two Shinigami women, who then led her to the execution hill. She followed obediently, her eyes soulless. Once they were there, she sat down without a sound, and waited, eyes gazing at her hands, not truly seeing anything.

Grimmjow was brought to the execution ground bound with seki-seki handcuffs. It drove him crazy to be left so powerless. Then, he caught sight of her and all his precedent feelings flew out of the metaphoric window. _She_ was there. He turned towards her, almost desperate to hear her voice:

"Shiruba!"

The blonde's head snapped up as her eyes focused on the cerulean eyes coming closer.

"Grimmjow!" She attempted to stand up, but her guards reacted too fast and held her down. Tears pearled in her eyes as she reached out to him with her available arm: "Grimmjow!"

He growled and started to struggle, wanting to get closer to his woman.

"Stop him immediately. The execution will begin." Yamamoto had arrived.

Shiruba flinched at the cold voice, and at the words it spoke, starting to tremble again. Grimmjow snarled at the Soutaicho:

"At least let her go now dammit!"

The old man merely looked him down before declaring: "Begin."


	13. Chapter 13: Hell Almost Breaks Loose

Whewps~. Maybe not the end? Sorry for being evil with you guys. But hey, I'm posting!

Disclaimer: No own Bleach.

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Grimmjow was forced to the ground brutally, head pushed downwards, exposing his vulnerable neck. A group of masked priests started chanting as the Soutaicho slid his zanpakuto from the sheath.

Shiruba started trembling even more, her body convulsing on the ground, to the worry of her guards. In a haze of panic, she could only perceive gray tones, before heaving out violently. A tsunami of reiatsu knocked the unsuspecting Shinigami over, since they had omitted putting seki-seki cuffs on her, erroneously believing she was powerless. The girl rushed towards her love using the brief diversion as well as she could. Spreading her arms wide, she declared to the stunned assembly:

"No one will touch _my _Espada."

Grimmjow looked up at her before standing up himself, shocked at what he had just seen. She was protecting _him_? He grumbled, hiding his emotion:

"Damn, I'm not an Espada anymore, woman! And I should be protecting you, not the other freaking way around!"

She blushed slightly and murmured: "Please, this time, let me. I wish to repay my debt."

The Shinigami had recuperated and the Soutaicho was preparing to eliminate the troublesome ryoka, gazing at him with honest eyes when two resounding voices shouted out:

"NO!"

Rukia and Ichigo appeared side by side, in front of Shiruba. They smiled tightly at each other and faced the old man without a flinch. Ichigo declared loudly:

"We can't allow them to die, not after they asked for our help." During that time, Rukia murmured to them rapidly: "Sorry we're late, the guards weren't cooperating…"

The Soutaicho of Gotei 13 glared them down, and prepared his sword once more, not taking into account what consequences his actions could have, when Rangiku shunpoed to them as well.

"I owe him this at least, after he did so much for me." She smiled softly at the girl she had taken a maternal liking to, while said girl gazed at them, clear gray eyes brimming in awe and gratitude.

To the shock of everyone, Nanao joined the "rebel" group with a glint in her eye that dared anyone to comment. She was a sucker for love stories that ended well despite the odds… Shunsui gaped at his lieutenant and, shaking his head slightly, joined her side, promising himself to cut off her book supply for this. Ukitake followed; always stayed by the side of his friends. His overly motivated third seats followed instantly, competing as always to be the best. Little by little, the group standing by the Hollow and the human grew, as friends and family joined them. The two of them just stared, stunned by all these people who would lay their loyalty on the line for total strangers, one of them, an enemy.


	14. Chapter 14: Liberty Regained

Yeah, I can't be mean. Love'm too much.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.

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The Soutaicho lowered his zanpakuto slowly, and royally declared:

"If that is the general choice, then so be it. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques and Shiruba Taiyo, you are now freed of all charges. Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki will escort you back to the human world."

Shiruba gasped as she realized it meant they were going to survive against the odds and swayed, finally allowing herself to relax, the previous explosion taking its toll. Grimmjow caught her expertly, almost used to her falling unconscious unnoticed. Rangiku glanced at them, touched by their obvious love. Before they departed through the Senkaimon, she sided up to them and murmured to his ear:

"Gin says hi. He was protecting you by deleting all compromising videos of you and Shiruba."

Grimmjow looked at her shocked, obviously taking her for a traitor, making her smile coyly and whisper again: "Don't worry; he's only a traitor to Hueco Mundo." A little frown twisted her features downwards as she added: "Not that Soul Society knows it yet…"

He relaxed and muttered back:

"Okay. Well, tell him thanks." He grimaced at the thought "I owe him one." He had always, and would always hate having debts. Gin seemed an especially dangerous person to owe a debt to….

A few minutes later, the group appeared in front of Ichigo's house, where they entered tiredly. Rukia flopped down on her mattress in the closet and gazed at Grimmjow resting on the ground with his girl still in his arms, slightly envious. Ichigo caught her stare and grinned, crossing the room to sit beside her. She leaned into him happily, pleased that her had understood her intentions.

All was well.

The next morning, Shiruba woke up in a warm embrace, feeling protected. She leaned back into the heat and her silver gaze met an icy blue one. Her mouth opened in a perfect "O" and her cheeks flushed when she realized exactly what the heat was. He grinned down at her and put a finger over his lips, gesturing towards Rukia and Ichigo -loved together on a mattress- with his chin. She nodded, still embarrassed by their compromising position when he stood up, dragging her up with him. He took her up bridal style in his arms, and with his trademark cocky grin, jumped out the open window. They landed softly, contrarily to what a breathless Shiruba had expected. She looked up as his handsome face and finally took in the fact that he didn't have a bone fragment.

"You're in a gigai?" She questioned curious about the fact.

He glanced down with disinterest: "Yeah, why?"

She flushed again, realizing they were both completely visible. She struggled vainly, trying to get loose, as Grimmjow strolled down the street, not bothered one bit by inquisitive stares that followed them. Comprehending resistance was futile, she leaned into his chest, hiding her beet-red face, and asked where they were going.

"Somewhere." Was her very helpful answer. The blonde grumbled under her breath, but didn't protest out loud, respect for her superior still engrained inside her mind.

The icy-eyed hollow loped down the street, completely at ease, while his passenger wasn't one bit. She peeked out of her hiding place at one point, but _people were still staring!_ She curled further into his arms.

After a while, they finally reached their mystery destination, Grimmjow stopping in front of a door. Shiruba peered out through her hair and blinked, finding it mighty familiar. Next to the entrance was a name-tag that read Fuyona Taiyo. The girl gasped, finally recognizing her old apartment.

"What are we doing here Grimmjow?"

He smirked at her, declaring:

"We're gonna stay here. It's your place no?"


	15. Chapter 15:Almost Back to Normal

"We're gonna stay here. It's your place no?"

She nodded, still hesitant. Not leaving her any time to doubt, he opened the door and pushed her inside, turning on the lights as he went, since all the blinds were drawn. The place had a sheen of dust everywhere retaining a quaint charm nonetheless, an air that felt like Shiruba. The walls were beige, but had some cracks in them, showing time had passed. All the furniture looked comfortable, and most were in chocolaty colors, in a modern style. Nothing seemed expensive, but they were more than cheap too.

Business-like, Shiruba went to fetch her cleaning material, and started to work, as Grimmjow watched, feeling completely out of place. She cracked a smile at the sight of such a man in her modest living-room. Realizing he felt uncomfortable doing nothing, she led him to a closet where some painting supplies were stocked:

"I always wanted to refresh the apartment, but I could never find the time… If you want, you can try? If it's not too much of a bother of course…"

Grimmjow grinned and grabbed the stuff, before setting himself to the task, glad to be active. He instinctively felt how to spread the paint and took off at a good pace on a wall while Shiruba continued waging war against dust and other horrors that had invaded during her absence. As they restored the apartment to a long-lost cleanness, she noticed something new. For the first time in years, she felt happy to be at home. Yes, home, not house. Glancing at the Espada, she smiled softly again, knowing it was his rough presence that had caused the change. A home was truly where you had people who counted…

The day passed quickly as they transformed the apartment into something nice, Grimmjow doing other chores (having used sonido to cheat on the painting process) causing Shiruba to burst into "random" giggles each time she saw him awkwardly re-hanging pictures and banging nails in.

The night came fast, and a little problem came up: sleeping arrangements. Shiruba panicked, realizing she had only one full-sized bed, and immediately suggested she'd take the couch, just like before. He smirked, retorting:

"Bullshit! We can share the bed, its big enough for two."

Her eyes flew wide as she considered the implications that the idea brought, and flushed red. Not meeting his eyes, she admitted defeat and went to change into her overgrown night dress. He smiled to himself triumphantly and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep instantly. After all, he had been fully exerted today.

Going back to their room, Shiruba saw him sleeping peacefully, face finally relaxing and smiled. She knew he had kept his Pesquias alert the whole day, watching for any potential danger… It had tired him more than he ever would admit, but he had done it anyways… For her. She spread the covers over him and ruffled his hair lightly before falling asleep at his side; her head coming to rest on his chest as she dreamed of love and peace, something she could finally imagine.

Dawn came slowly, a soft light peeking through the curtains, awakening the Espada, unused to real sunlight. He went to sit up, but a weight on his chest held him down. Peering at the obstacle, he realized Shiruba had spent the night using him as her personal pillow. The notion of a violent Espada serving as a pillow for a girl that wouldn't harm a fly made him smirk, and made his inner beast purr in pleasure. He wondered briefly whether he should be disturbed or not. Finally, he put her down gently, and replaced himself with an actual pillow (much softer than his chest, he noted with a grin) before standing up and heading to the kitchen. As soon as he was out of the room, Shiruba's eyes snapped open, a large blush spreading across her cheeks. She had slept on him!

Sitting up carefully, she pressed her hands to her burning cheeks, trying to calm herself. Hearing an ominous clatter from the kitchen, she bounded up and followed her nose there, smelling a warm aroma in the air. Had Grimmjow cooked?

Stepping inside the room carefully, she was greeted with the brief sight of food, before a warm hand covered her eyes. She gasped indignantly, before he murmured in her ear, his breath drawing goose bumps on her neck:

"It's a surprise, woman, wait up."

The smirk was obvious in his tone. She smiled to herself, before asking:

"Okay then, where do I wait? I'll keep my eyes closed, I promise!"

He chuckled to himself before lifting her up suddenly, eliciting a squeak of surprise from her, as she looked around –eyes still closed-, completely disoriented. He plopped her down on the counter before turning away. She kept her eyes closed obediently, trying to sniff around, in an attempt to guess what he was preparing. The delicious aromas were making her stomach rumble in anticipation.

After a few antagonizing minutes, she felt him come closer again, as he told her to open her mouth. She followed his instructions and suddenly felt a cinnamon flavor hit her tongue. Her eyes flew open as she avidly asked for more. Grinning, he shoved a plate at her then sat down besides her, lacking anything else to do. Between bites of the scrumpfcious cinnamon toast (A/N: THANKS SARJNA!), she praised him:

"Oh wow, Grimmjow-sa—" She cut off quickly, remembering his hate of honorifics. "This is delicious! Where did you learn to cook so well?"

He opened his mouth to answer her when they were both knocked to the ground by a wave of powerful reiatsu. They looked at each other, Shiruba's eyes wide with fear. They spoke at the same time: "It's starting."


	16. Chapter 16: Death of a GodLover's Rage

"It's starting."

In unison, they ran out of the apartment, and scanned the sky, trying to pinpoint the intrusion. To their surprise, the higher ranks of the Gotei 13 were already there as well, prepared to fight, solemn faces watching the enemy. Ill at ease, Grimmjow let his gigai drop to the ground as he pulled Shiruba close, before joining them. They ended up near Rangiku, the one they trusted the most, even if that trust was still strained on Grimmjow's side. She smiled at them nervously in welcome, before returning to her search for her missing lover, that she hadn't caught a glimpse of yet.

Meanwhile, Aizen had struck up a "conversation" with Yamamoto, trying to comprehend how they could possibly have arrived before him to the spot of his upcoming triumph. Grimmjow snorted to himself, muttering for the profit of his companions:

"Still an arrogant prick, eh?" The girls both laughed, amused by his lack of reverence for the one that remained a powerful nemesis.

Yamamoto curtly replied: "A confidential source." All around him could sense his displeasure on this fact. Rangiku smiled to herself, knowing precisely who the source in question was.

At that moment, a gargantua opened, and out stepped Gin, in all his devious foxy glory. He took his place next to Aizen without a care in the world, causing Rangiku's heart to shatter once more. She gasped, not wanting to believe what was happening. He was betraying her again, after she had given her trust back, and back, time and time again… It all ended the same, in deception, heart-break…. She felt tears pearl up in her eyes as Shiruba tried desperately to comfort her, as the other had done when she had been in prison. Ran gazed at him imploringly, hoping, wishing for even one little sign that'd tell her it was nothing but a nightmare, telling her should could wake up, and that he'd be there for her. He winked at her discreetly, and her heart soared as she realized he was truly on their side, this time for good. A small smile blossomed on her face, before she broke down in tears once more, not wanting to ruin what Gin had sacrificed so much to achieve.

Grimmjow watched this incredulously, completely lost. He would never understand females, he decided. Shiruba saw his confusion and explained quietly, keeping the others out of earshot.

By then, Aizen had gone into full-out psycho mode, explaining his plan to the assembly in front of him, relishing in the glory of the moment. Gin coughed slightly, and the brown haired man with the mullet looked back at him, annoyed at the ill-place interruption. Just as he was getting to the best part! Gin grinned even wider and declared loud enough for all to hear:

"Frankly, your speeches suck, Aizen-taicho." He let the shock sink in for a second, before whipping his arm, and yelling: "Kamishini no Yari!"

His zanpakuto expanded faster than the eye could see, leaving everyone stilled to silence. Aizen choked, and attention returned to him, where the man was leading his last performance. Gin's zanpakuto was firmly embedded in his chest. The future tyrant roared in anger, reaching for his own sword. Gin merely smiled, sending shivers into the audience's souls, for it was a smile that announced death, and pure loathing. He touched the man's chest, muttering:

"Korose Kamishini no Yari."

Aizen's chest slowly started to evaporate as the defeated leader roared once more, fear seeping into his tone. "Gin! You…. Why?"

The silver man continued smiling, and spoke tranquilly:

"You made her cry."


	17. Chapter 17: Final Battle

Fear the wrath of a man in love. Not as bad as a woman, but quite fearful. Did I mention I loved Gin?

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach

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"You made her cry."

Rangiku gasped softly as tears rolled down her cheeks. Shiruba hugged her tightly, relieved for the fukutaicho.

But the war wasn't over. Aizen's body faded into dust, and disappeared with the wind, as the Espada started to get agitated, demanding the fight they had been promised. Everyone chose their opponents, and it started.

Grimmjow and Shiruba stayed close, and ended up facing Nnoitra together, the spoon-man leering at the blonde, making the ex-Espada snarl.

"So Grimmjow~? You get something good for leaving us?"

The snarky undertone left no doubt to what he was alluding to, throwing the blue-haired man over the edge, as he roared:

"Grind, Kishire Pantera!"

Shiruba gazed at his resurrection in awe, taking in the beautiful feline appearance, falling in love even more… And being somehow reminded at the same time of that small panther plushy she had gotten at the fair.

He grinned manically, before leaping towards the other man. The fight began, as Grimmjow fired off a volley of attacks, trying to damage the asshole with his claws. Shiruba paid close attention to the fight, ready to intervene at a second's notice if needed, even though she knew her Espada would hate it. Then, she sensed someone coming up behind her and dodged Tesla's lunge for her head. She cursed lightly, habit caught from Grimmjow, and starting avoiding as he tried for her weak point.

Grimmjow had felt the disturbance and cursed profusely attacking even harder, to try and finish up his fight with the now released form of Nnoitra. The instant of inattention cost him as he got stabbed to the shoulder by one of his scythes. He grunted in pain before leaping back, tearing the blade from his flesh.

Shiruba felt his pain from where she was, still struggling to avoid the other Fraccion. She paled and released a tsunami of reiatsu, knocking the Arrancar out for a bit. She then turned towards the other battle, and took in the sight of her love, with blue like claw marks in the sky in front of him. She relaxed slightly, realizing he wasn't in any immediate danger, but started healing anyways, focusing her silver light around his shoulder.

Absorbed in her task, she didn't sense Tesla coming up behind her, recovered from her previous attack. Gin stepped behind her and blocked the blade almost leisurely, then killing the servant with as much ease as earlier with Aizen. She looked behind her in shock, and stopped healing the feline Espada, before thanking Gin profusely. He merely grinned, before declaring:

"I couldn't let a friend of my Ran-chan's die, could I?"

She thanked him again before returning to her task, that none of the fighters had noticed yet, the silver color almost invisible, amidst all the violence. She flinched a little when Grimmjow loped off Nnoitra's arms, but didn't think too much of it, knowing violence was inescapable here.

Grimmjow was starting to feel tired, as the stupid mantis in front of him just refused to keel over and die. His best attack had taken a lot out of him, but the asshole still had stamina in him. He wasn't totally unscathed himself, despite how much it annoyed him to admit it. His shoulder wasn't hurting as much either, for some unknown reason… At that moment, he saw a golden occasion, and lunged, piercing Nnoitra straight through the heart. He felt a surge of animalistic triumph, then a wave of unbearable pain. Looking down at his bare chest, he realized numbly that the bastard had stabbed him as well. He felt his blood trickle down his stomach as he pushed the dead body, before falling to his knees.

Shiruba cried out in horror as she ran to him, falling down on her knees at his side, starting to heal him immediately. The hole Nnoitra had caused created him a second hollow hole, that she struggled to heal as fast as she could, willing it to close up and disappear, leaving her love unharmed.

Grimmjow looked around dazedly, eyes glazed, not truly seeing the battles around him.

Ukitake and Kyoraku were bringing Stark down, their powers too much, for even him and Lilynette combined. Ichigo was taking Ulquiorra down, Rukia aiding him, her worried eyes not leaving him once throughout the fight. The two scientists were mixing debate and fighting, Kurostuchi gaining a distinct advantage, to Grimmjow's glee. He liked neither, but Szayel had it coming to him, for treating his Shiruba like that… Tousen had been corned by his former friends, who were currently beating some sense into him. Hinamori and Rangiku were taking Hallibel's Fraccion down, Gin keeping a discreet eye on her from afar. Izuru aided them as well, wanting to make up for his lack of trust in his Taicho. Hitsugaya and the Soutaicho were battling Hallibel, the 3rd Espada no match for the leader of Gotei 13 and the child prodigy. The other Espada were being dealt with, humans allied with Shinigami, fighting alongside to protect their town, and their lives. Soul Society was winning, the Espada were completely disorganized without their leaders.

Shiruba's eyes blurred with tears, feeling that her feeble power would never be enough to help the one she cared about. The salty drops fell onto Grimmjow's cheek, as he closed his eyes in defeat. She was going to lose him and herself at the same time. Her body swayed in exhaustion, as she struggled to continue, refusing to give up on the one that had made her feel at home, at last. All that counted was him.

Despite her resolve, her body gave in, and she collapsed next to him, tears pouring freely on her cheeks.


	18. Chapter 18: Things Die Down

My apologies for that 5 second cliff hanger, I do favor these too much for my own good.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.

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Despite her resolve, her body gave in, and she collapsed next to him, tears pouring freely on her cheeks.

They didn't witness everyone, crying out in victory, in celebration, in relief…

They didn't witness the remaining Espada fade to dust in defeat…

They didn't witness Unohana and Isane rush to them, moments later…

They didn't witness their transfer to emergency treatment in the 4th barracks.

They were together, united in their souls, fighting to stay together. They were love.

It was only two days later that Shiruba woke up in an unfamiliar white room, the smell of violets surrounding her. She blinked slowly, readjusting to the light in the room, and turned her head slightly, seeing Grimmjow in a chair, watching her intently.

She blushed red at his intensity before trying to sit up, slowly. They watched each other for a few moments, before he finally spoke up:

"I was worried for you, dammit! Thought you'd never wake up…"

"I'm really sorry, Grimmjow. Uhm… Are you alright?"

He snorted in disbelief. "You're the one still in bed, and you're asking ME if I'm okay? Get some priorities, girl."

She smiled at him before pushing her legs over the side of the bed. He frowned but let her be, wanting to see what she was going to attempt. Shakily, the blonde pressed her feet to the cold floor and stood up, testing her balance. She took the first few steps clumsily, before collapsing in Grimmjow's ready arms.

"Jeez woman! It's starting to become a damn habit for me to have to catch ya."

She giggled at his words, before sitting back down on the bed. Raking her head for a few minutes, she finally came up with an acceptable subject of conversation:

"You know… Ichigo's name actually means strawberry…"

He laughed. "I'll be sure to call him that next time I see him, he'll love it!"

Teasingly, she remarked: "Well, that might be overused, no? I liked carrot-head better, much more original."

This time, a full-out laugh escaped his lips, as he looked at her incredulously. Behind the innocent appearance, she was a little devil!

Happy to have cleared his mind, she asked: "When can we go home?" before regretting it immediately. He might not want to go stay with her…. She looked down at her hands, waiting for the rejection. The pause stretched longer, before he finally replied:

"I don't really know. I guess we wait till you can walk, and till I get my frickin' gigai back!"

She smiled in relief and commented: "Well I can walk fine, so we could go and look for the gigai? I don't want to be a burden much longer…"

Grimmjow smirked at her first sentence, knowing perfectly well that she'd just fall on her face again. Choosing the simplest solution, he just went up to her bed and picked her up bridal style. Shiruba was already beet-red by that time.

"So. Where'd you think they'd keep the damn gigai?"

Still embarrassed, she mumbled: "Uhm… With scientists, no? It would seem logical to me."

Grunting his approval, he set out in search of said scientists, before running into Ichigo.

"Hey, Carrot-head!"

Ichigo whirled around, scowling: "What do you want, Grimmjow?"

The blue-haired Espada grinned at his reaction. Shiruba has been right, it was much better.

"Would you happen to know where Grimmjow-sa—Uhm… Where his gigai is?" Shiruba enquired timidly, peeking her head out of her love's arm.

Ichigo smiled at her, before pondering the question for a few minutes. "I think Urahara took it. He's gone back to Karakura though. Wait for me at the Senkaimon, I'll show you where it is."

"Thank you very much Ichigo-san!" Shiruba answered, knowing Grimmjow wouldn't bother with pleasantries.

"Yeah, what she said. Later, carrot-head!" Ichigo's smile faded back to the usual scowl.

"Sure."

He left in shunpo and Grimmjow looked around, pissed off by a sudden realization. "Now… Where's the goddamn Senkaimon?"

Ten minutes of wondering later, the pair finally found the meeting spot, Shiruba still in his arms. Shinigami around them looked at Grimmjow warily, knowing his reputation by now. He waited for Ichigo, unfazed by the onlookers.

Ichigo showed up minutes later, Rukia in tow. The two girls greeted each other warmly, despite the awkward position of the blonde. They arrived in the human world minutes later, having been forced to outrun the "damn Cleaner", dixit Grimmjow. Ichigo guided them to a small run-down shop, where a shady looking man was waiting, petting a black cat curled up in his lap.

"Ah…! Ichigo-san, Grimmjow-san, Rukia-san, Shiruba-san! Pleasure to see you again, how may I help you?"


	19. Chapter 19: Finally a Home

The last part. I feel almost like crying. My baby project is done. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.

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"Ah…! Ichigo-san, Grimmjow-san, Rukia-san, Shiruba-san! Pleasure to see you again, how may I help you?"

Never in the mood to be polite, Grimmjow barked: "Where's my damn gigai?"

Shiruba frowned slightly and he peered down at her in confusion. Rolling his eyes when he realized what was troubling her, he tacked on a reluctant: "Please?"

Noticing the exchange, Urahara merely smiled, grinning, feeling he had made a good choice.

"Sit down; I'll get it right now. Rukia-san, your order has come in, follow me if you wish?"

Rukia's eyes shone, as Ichigo groaned. Everything BUT Chappy, he mentally begged. They disappeared into the workshop, reappearing rapidly, Urahara holding Grimmjow's limp "body", and Rukia clutching a small shopping bag to her chest. When Ichigo attempted to poke inside, he was harshly rebuffed, the girl's face flushing to a dark pink.

Shiruba thanked the shopkeeper for her Espada, whom she could sense had done his share of politeness of the day, and they returned to their home, both fully visible, and Shiruba fully embarrassed once more. She was starting to believe that he did it on purpose…

That night, the blonde girl fell asleep on his chest, relishing in the warmth coming from his gigai. She slept peacefully till around midnight, where she was awoken by a strange thumping sound. Sitting up, startled by the intruding noise, she looked around for anything abnormal, before realizing the sound came from Grimmjow's heart. Reassured, she went to lay her head back on his chest, before opening her eyes wide in shock and realization. His heart? That simply wasn't possible, he wasn't human anymore! His gigai was only supposed to offer body heat, nothing else. Something was wrong.

Trembling with anxiety, the girl shook the Espada awake, to his great discontentment:

"What the hell?"

Panicking, she cried out: "You… You have a heartbeat!"

This caught the man's attention, as he jolted awake, stunned to silence.

"What?" Well, stunned to silence for a few seconds.

She merely nodded as he gingerly placed a hand to his chest, confirming her words. Indeed, he, a hollow, creature without a heart, without a soul, had somehow regained one.

Shiruba regained her composure a little, racking her brains for something to do.

"Call Ichigo-san, maybe he'll have Urahara's number… Maybe he can help?" she proposed, a small tremor in her voice. The Shinigami had given them his number, in case of an emergency. The situation seemed to apply.

He grunted and reached for his new soul pager, dialing carrot-heads' number.

An out of breath Ichigo replied, cursing profusely:

"What the hell d'you want, Grimmjow? This isn't the best moment!"

The blue-haired Espada grinned widely, understanding what exactly he had just interrupted. "Get off your damn girl three secs and give me Urahara's frickin' number! It's urgent."

An offended gasp was heard from Ichigo's side of the line, and Shiruba's jaw dropped as she comprehended as well. Ichigo grumbled before giving a number and hanging up on the pair.

They dialed the number fast, and Grimmjow barked into the phone, leaving no time for the shop-keeper to speak.

"What the hell did'ya do to me?"

Urahara's tone was slightly snarky, as he replied:

"Giving you an occasion to live fully with your girlfriend."

"What do you mean by that?" Grimmjow demanded, not denying the 'girlfriend' part to Shiruba's enchantment.

"What I mean, is that you're becoming human again. The gigai is an advanced technology (feel lucky you got to test it) that melds with your body. You're no longer a hollow. Congratulations!"

Grimmjow stayed mute for a few instants, before roaring into the phone:

"What? I don't want to be a frickin' pansy!"

The girl bowed her head slightly, ashamed of her weakness.

"Now, now, Espada-san. You won't lose your powers, just become… Like Ichigo Kurosaki would be one way to describe it. Except not a Shinigami. Oh, and you'll die too."

"Death? How is death good?"

"Well… You'll be able to stay with Shiruba-san. She couldn't live with a hollow all her life; you might've ended up sapping her energy by accident. It would've been regretful, no?"

The ex-hollow just grunted, still enraged. He couldn't help but see the truth in the other man's words. "Any other shit I should know?"

"Ah yes! Soon, you won't have a gigai anymore… Well you will, it'll just be your body."

"And when I get out of the meat-suit?" Grimmjow kept his voice low, containing his annoyance.

"You'll regain your hollow powers, except you won't have a hole in your chest. You'll be... Something else entirely."

"Tch." Shiruba gestured for the phone, before he got the chance to hang up on the Shinigami. He handed it over to her, still scowling, before leaving the room, slamming the door on his way, causing plaster to fall from the ceiling.

She whispered into the mouthpiece, unsure whether he was still within earshot or not.

"Thank you, Urahara-san. He just needs a little time to adjust…"

"You're welcome my dear! Good night, or rather good day to you!"

"Good day to you too…" As soon as she hung up, Shiruba rushed out to search for her Espada, worry eating away at her inside, still in her nightdress, her bare feet slamming against the dirt of the embankments. A weak Pesquia implanted by Szayel had led her there. She looked around, recognizing the place they had gone after their first "date", at the fair.

Calling out to him tentatively, she stumbled to his side, before sitting down next to him.

"Grimmjow…"

"What do you want?" Rebuked by his harsh tone, she mumbled: "I only wanted to be sure you were okay…"

"I'm good. You can go now, back to your Shinigami buddies." He stood up to leave, stalking off towards the darkness. Realizing what his problem was, she rushed after him, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving her there.

"Stop! I don't care whether you're human, or hollow… Dammit, I'd love you even if you were a Quincy!" She panted, surprising both of them with her outburst.

"I just want you to be here…" She lowered her voice, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "With me…"

Tears pearled in her eyes, as she waited to be rejected one last time. He gazed down at her, stunned by her bold declaration, and pulled her into his arms tightly, a real hug. Their first real hug. Into her hair, he muttered: "Thanks… for accepting me..."

Smiling into his chest, she whispered: "No. Thank you…"

And in her head, she added: "Thank you, Grimmjow. For giving me a place to feel safe, in your arms. For giving me a place… to call home."

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Thank you all for reading, rating, commenting, whatever. I love you for your patience towards me!

Leona

PS. Little drabble coming after ;)


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